Well, I’m not sure what to make of this. A man donated his body to science, with the proviso that his skull be used in the Royal Shakespeare Company in a performance.

For years, no actor could stomach using the guy’s cranium… until one man stepped forward.

Who?

Yeah, Who. David Tennant, that Who. When he was alassing poor Yorick in his recent performance as Hamlet, the man of infinite jest was actually Polish pianist André Tchaíkowsky.

So props to Tennant for going through with it. Wait, it wasn’t a prop, it was real. Sorry about that, jokes like that are an occipitational hazard. It’s only temporal, since if I do it too much I’ll be a parietal on my own blog! I’m a fontanelle of such things, but such a frontal assault on my readers would only stem their reading habits.

So if you don’t like it, suture self.

I can’t do a hat tip, since, as Ophelia said, Hamlet had "no hat upon his head." So instead I’ll just say thanks to Rebecca, and note that when she sent me the link, she said that she’s considering donating her body to Tennant as well.

I’m surprised that even though Tennant wanted to use the skull, its use wasn’t nixed by other members of the theatre company. Actors and directors are very superstitious people and I’m sure the use of a real skull in the play is very unnerving to some of the actors.

On a side note, the superstitions almost always come true, oddly enough. When actors see something that violates what I’ve jokingly called the theatre’s chi (the arrangement of good luck charms and knick knacks that makes up an average backstage area, and the pre-show ritual of group meditation, prayer, avoidances of words or phrases, etc.) the more superstitious of those actors become convinced that something bad will happen and the show will suck, then they get tense and screw up a bunch of stuff making their “prophesy” of failure come true.

So I’m really surprised they’re letting him use the skull. I bet there are one or two actors that are screwing up their performances over the knowledge that there’s a real human skull being used in the show.

And, John, if he was really method acting, the tears would be real: He’d kill one of his friends before every show and use their head in Act V every night. The sorrow must be real. C’mon, Tennant! Show us the tears!

Several years ago, Del Close, a legend in the Chicago theater and improv scene, left his skull to the Goodman Theater company for use in future productions of Hamlet. As far as I know, they haven’t done the play yet, but if they need him, they’ve got him.

I’m surprised that even though Tennant wanted to use the skull, its use wasn’t nixed by other members of the theatre company. Actors and directors are very superstitious people and I’m sure the use of a real skull in the play is very unnerving to some of the actors.

In response to Reed Braden’s comment “I’m really surprised they’re letting him use the skull. I bet there are one or two actors that are screwing up their performances over the knowledge that there’s a real human skull being used in the show” I can only say that I’ve seen the Tennant Hamlet (which is an awesome production: both Tennant and Patrick Stewart are very impressive) and I couldn’t detect any sign of anyone on stage being nervous or flubbing their performances because of the skull.

That’s really awesome. Though, I’ve got to admit, a part of me wonders why it was ever a problem. I mean, it’s just a skull. I’d think it’d be incredibly cool to be able to use a real one in a performance!

Then again, I’ve handled animal skulls (humans included) in various states of preservation across probably every major order, so I’d not have a second thought about it. A skull’s a skull. *Shrugs*.

I wonder if he got a credit in the program. When I read what this composer did, I thought, “Wow, that is a great idea! I should sign up to give my skull to my local theatre company.” They do Shakespeare in the Park every year, well, not this year because of the flood. One comedy/romance, one tragedy/history. A good use of one’s remains.

I think I’ll donate my heart for use in a gory trick by Penn & Teller. Then again I am an organ donor so maybe my heart should go to a faith healer as none of them have one.
P&T can make due with my skull or perhaps a hand (they can work a “middle finger” routine).

One of the cool things about it is that in the scene Hamlet suddenly realizes that this inanimate object has a direct connection to the life of a real, specific person he knew. Now, after the production is over, we’re finding out that the inanimate prop is actually part of a real, specific person to whom the RSC was really important. It’s kind of poetic.

The other cool thing about it that it provides another excuse to run a picture of David Tennant.